A total of 28,000ha of cassava was planted in the province last year, but this has now swollen to 34,000ha.

Several processing plants have been built in Kon Tum to process cassava.

Phuong Hoa Cassava Starch Processing Plant in Dak Glei District produces 25,000 tonnes a year. It works for six months a year and buys tubers for about VND2,000 (US$0.095) per kilogram.

Nguyen Van Hai, head of the Dak Glei District Forest Management Unit said that the district set up several forest protection stations, but could not control the issue.

Local authorities have prosecuted dozens of people for cutting down trees since 2010, but nothing has changed.

Tran Viet Cuong, deputy head of the Administration and Planning Division of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said local authorities were forced to let residents plant cassava because it thrived in the rough terrain.

Plantations required little capital and were known as poverty reduction crops for ethnic minorities, he said. — VNS